


Break the Bad Luck in My Life

by dls



Series: Post-Infinity War Ficlets [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Civil War Team Iron Man, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 22:37:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14680896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: Winning isn't everything, how toliveafter the victory is.





	Break the Bad Luck in My Life

**Author's Note:**

> My first post-IW and IronStrange fic...and probably not the last. 
> 
> Beta-ed by [Arboreal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arboreal).
> 
> References/Quotes   
>  Title from "Untangled Love" by Brandon Flowers.   
>  _Avengers: Infinity War._

"I went forward in time, to view alternate futures…to see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict." 

"How many did you see?" 

"Fourteen million six hundred and five." 

"How many did we win?" 

Win. Such a small word to describe the horrors already inflicted upon the universe and what still has to come. Victory comes in many forms and none of them without cost and most has a price too high to pay. 

Stephen thinks of the handful scenarios where they "win" and tastes only copper and ash and defeat. 

_Star Lord throws Thanos off the same ledge on Vormir, bright white tendrils of energy crawling over his red coat as the half-celestial wields the Infinity Gauntlet._

_Nebula embeds her sister's sword into the neck of a father who is only capable of the most twisted kind of love._

_Vision turns the might of the Mind Stone onto the other gems and welcomes the rebounded energy signature with a murmured apology left unheard in the wailing screams from a redheaded woman._

_Thor changes the trajectory of the Storm Breaker, its star-sharpened edge slicing through flesh and separating the gauntlet from its master._

_Stephen calls to the Time Stone even as it glows from its golden confines and burns up his remaining hours for a better future, all the while knowing it will not come to pass without…_

Tony Stark. 

The man who stays long after the battles are over and through the struggles of the aftermath. 

The hero who has risen from the ashes with the light of his heart shining like a beacon of hope. 

The mechanic who rebuilds not only himself but also the world, over and over, and will do so once more, guiding humanity through the shattered landscape and broken hearts when the threat of the Mad Titan passes. 

_Tony snaps his fingers, careless gesture with careful intent, and…_

**_Fixes. Restores. Heals._ **

Stephen has looked into the future and saw the futurist as the answer. Winning is final step for the others but only the first for Tony, as the way it should be. It's a pity that Stephen will miss the celebration. 

"One." 

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
